VETERANS OUTREACH: IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE ONE VETERAN AT A TIME

The Challenge America: Makers for Veterans (CAMVETS) events were created to develop innovative technical solutions for the unmet needs or challenges faced by individual Veterans with physical disabilities. Center staff worked with two wheelchair-dependent Veterans in April and November to 1) create a device to transfer easily from a wheelchair to a recumbent bike, tractor, and four-wheeler and 2) use an overhead ceiling lift to perform independent squats and leg stretch exercises (winner: Community Choice Award). The team prompted one Veteran to re-engage with the VA for his healthcare.

ARCHITECTURAL ACCESS FOR VETERANS: LEVELING THE WORLD WITH THE PRESS OF A BUTTON

The Self-Leveling Walker (SLW), an innovation conceived by Ronald Triolo, PhD, is a new rehabilitation tool and mobility aid that can continuously adjust to meet the demands of independently negotiating inclined surfaces or stairs. The SLW can be a more affordable solution for stair navigation and may accelerate the return to an unadapted home by reducing the time and cost of extended rehabilitation stays. When the legs are locked at the same length, the device performs like a standard walker, making it the only walker a user will ever need regardless of the environment.

EXERCISE FOR PARALYZED VETERANS: IMPROVING HEALTH THROUGH BIKING AND ROWING

The health and fitness of paralyzed Veterans is being improved via new exercise interventions that combine surface neural stimulation and a tablet-based interface with commercially available recumbent tricycles and stationary rowing machines that are adapted for Veterans with spinal cord injury or disorder (SCI/D), stroke, and other paralyzing neurological conditions. Physical and recreational therapists in the SCI/D Service now have this system to use with their patients. Participants have shown positive changes in muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness, and feelings of improved well-being and overall better health.

MOBILITY FOR VETERANS WITH SCI: EXOSKELETAL-ASSISTED WALKING

The use of a motorized exoskeleton can enable wheelchair-dependent Veterans with SCI to stand and walk in the community. This study is led by Site PI Kristi Henzel, MD, PhD and provides weight-bearing exercise and the ability to interact with others at eye level. Increased quality of life is anticipated along with improvements in reported bladder, bowel, and pain issues, cholesterol profiles, fasting plasma glucose, insulin levels, physical functioning, and social and emotional health, as well as decrease in total body fat mass and sleep disturbance.

TREATING INCONTINENCE: ADDRESSING A MAJOR CONCERN OF AGING OR PARALYZED VETERANS

Eighty percent of individuals with SCI/D have lower urinary tract dysfunction and limited sensation of bladder fullness, which can sharply increase the risk of pressure ulcer infection and set off a cascade of negative health events. Led by Margot Damaser, PhD, our Incontinence Technologies program approaches this critical health issue from three complementary directions: 1) Developing new sensors for improved diagnosis and personalized medicine, 2) Integrating them into new neurostimulation treatments, and 3) Providing clinicians with new tools to better understand how the nervous system and bladder interact, thereby enabling the discovery of new interventions.

SENSATION FOR VETERANS WITH LIMB LOSS: PROSTHETIC HANDS AND FEET THAT FEEL

Drs. Paul Marasco, Ronald Triolo, and Dustin Tyler are advancing the field of prosthetics and implanted sensory neuroprostheses by restoring useful and naturalistic sensation to Veterans with upper and lower limb loss. Forty-one Veterans have been enrolled to their studies and five have taken their sensory-enabled upper limb prostheses for long-term at-home testing. The projects are moving beyond sensory mapping to 1) Determining how amputees transition to and interact with their new sensory prostheses, 2) Understanding how amputees choose to use their devices, and 3) Identifying when the device is perceived to be most useful.

HELPING VA SENIOR LEADERSHIP UNDERSTAND THE TRANSLATIONAL VALUE OF PRE-CLINICAL RESEARCH TO VETERANS

On April 3rd, the APTC was visited by Drs. Carolyn Clancy, Deputy Under Secretary for Discovery, Education and Affiliate Networks, Rachel Ramoni, Chief R&D Officer, and Michael Fallon, Chief VMO to learn more about the results of our pre-clinical research studies involving canine models translated into new treatments for disabled Veterans. The group toured our laboratories and met Veterans who demonstrated the systems developed and validated in animal models. Speaking with our researchers and subjects gave VA Senior Leadership a better understanding and appreciation for the positive outcomes that have been derived from pre-clinical research that will be helpful in crafting future VA policy.

Bladder Event Detection for Diagnosis of Urinary Incontinence or Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction
Inventors: MS Damaser, S Bhunia, R Karam, S Majerus, D Bourbeau, H Zhu
Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
Patent No: 10,478,113 B2

Mechanical Self-Leveling Walker
Inventors: RJ Triolo, KM Foglyano
Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
Patent No: 10,500,121 B2

Standardized measurement of physiological pressures using an air-charged catheter apparatus
Inventors: MS Damaser, HK Awada, PC Fletter, M Cooper, P Zaszczurynski
Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
Patent No: 10,537,274

Congratulations to Jonathan Baskin, MD, the Center's new Associate Director for Translation. Dr. Baskin will work closely with each Program Manager to review and assess the translational readiness of active projects in each of their Application Areas, and make recommendations to the Leadership Council for investments of Center resources that may accelerate them along the translational pathway.

Congratulations to Pedram Mohseni, PhD for being promoted to Leonard Case Jr. Professor of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Dr. Mohseni is an active member of the Center's Leadership Council and the Director of the BioMicroSystems Laboratory housed in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at CWRU.

Participation at the RePlay for Kids adaptive toy workshop on December 20th included 40 staff and Veterans volunteering to adapt mainstream, battery-powered toys with external switches so that children with disabilities can use them. The workshop is a collaboration with the Special Emphasis Program-Disability committee, our Center, and RePlay for Kids. Channel 5 News Cleveland covered the event, which yielded 50-60 adapted toys. For more information about RePlay for Kids, visit their website.

Janet Gbur, PhD was recently featured in ASM International's Women in Engineering series that introduces leading materials scientists from around the world who happen to be females. Dr. Gbur is an Investigator at the APT Center, a research associate at Case Western Reserve University, and adjunct faculty at Youngstown State University. ASM International, formerly known as the American Society for Metals, is a professional organization for materials scientists and engineers. 

Dr. Gbur was also elected to the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) Leadership Council as Treasurer. MSA is dedicated to the promotion and advancement of techniques and applications of microscopy and microanalysis in all relevant scientific disciplines.

Good luck in your future endeavors, Rudi!

Rudi Kobetic, MSBE has been a Biomedical Engineer in the Motion Study Laboratory at the Cleveland VA for the past 40 years. His career was dedicated to improving the lives and mobility of Veterans paralyzed by spinal cord injuries (SCI), stroke, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis (MS). An Army Veteran himself, Rudi's work focused on the biomechanics of stimulated muscle, the control of posture and gait, metabolic and physiological effects of exercise and walking, and the construction of effective patterns of stimulation to restore or facilitate movement of paralyzed lower extremities. He devised systems for delivering electrical stimulation via implanted or surface electrodes to key muscles and combining them with sensor-based controllable bracing to enable walking and other maneuvers important for independence. An avid skier, hiker, and distance runner, with a wicked sense of humor and an infectious laugh, Rudi has agreed to consult on ongoing projects in the Motion Study Laboratory during his retirement, and allow students, staff, fellow researchers, and disabled Veterans to reap the benefits of his experience. 

Medical Illustration & Digital Media - Jennifer Kerbo

As Medical Illustrator, Jennifer Kerbo is responsible for working with investigators to create medical and scientific illustrations for publications, presentations, and grant applications. This includes 3D renderings and graphic design, as needed. As the Digital Media Specialist, she provides support for projects through photo and video documentation.

Technical Editing, Communications, & Outreach - Rebecca Polito

Rebecca Polito can provide assistance with proofreading, editing, and finalizing grant proposals including, but not limited to, VA, DOD, NIH, and Foundation awards, as well as manuscripts, LOAs, etc. She is also the point of contact for updates and news that is appropriate for electronic media (announcements, newsletter, etc), marketing materials, and the APTC's website. Rebecca is also the liaison with local and national Veteran Service Organizations to educate them about APT Center research programs and solicit feedback about Veteran needs that can help direct the Center’s research mission.